Building Strong® at Cougar Dam and Reservoir

Cougar Dam and Reservoir is located at River Mile 4.4 of the South Fork McKenzie River, about 42 miles east of Eugene, Ore.

Cougar Dam is a rockfill structure with a gated concrete spillway that was completed in 1963 at a cost of $54.2 million. Since then, it has prevented about $452 million in potential flood damages. Cougar Lake has a storage capacity of 219,000 acre-feet and controls runoff from an area of 208 square miles.

Cougar Dam works in coordination with Blue River Dam for the purpose of flood risk management. Cougar Dam’s authorized primary purposes are flood risk management, hydropower, water quality improvement, irrigation, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation.

*National Geodetic Vertical Datum

Cougar recreation

The project encompasses almost 5,000 acres and the uplands are managed primarily through an agreement with the Willamette National Forest. The reservoir is a designated stop along the Three Sisters section of the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail. This Trail is a self-guided auto tour of nearly 200 prime birding destinations in the Oregon Cascades. American peregrine falcons have been observed around the cliffs above the lake.

Cougar map

Operations: Cougar

The project encompasses almost 5,000 acres and the uplands are managed primarily through an agreement with the Willamette National Forest. To mitigate impacts of Corps dams on Chinook salmon and resident fisheries within the McKenzie River basin, the Corps built the McKenzie Hatchery. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife maintains and operates the hatchery with funds from the Corps of Engineers and the State of Oregon.

In 2004, the Corps completed a temperature control tower for Cougar Dam, which improved downstream conditions for threatened fish species. Currently, the Corps is operating a new fish ladder and holding facility below the dam that allows biologists to collect adult fish from the river and transport them upstream to their natal streams. The Corps also promotes resident fisheries throughout the McKenzie River basin through the continued support of Leaburg Hatchery and as a partner in efforts to recover bull trout and Oregon chub within the McKenzie River drainage.